NY Prison Guard Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Inmate’s Death

A prison guard admitted to manslaughter on Monday in connection with the death of inmate Robert Brooks, whose cruel beating while handcuffed at a prison in upstate New York was caught on body cameras.

There were six guards charged with second-degree murder in the beating at the Marcy Correctional Facility on December 9. One of them was Christopher Walrath, 36. He admitted to killing someone in the first degree during a hearing in Utica state court. He will spend 15 years in jail because of the plea deal.

Judge Robert Bauer and a lawyer asked Walrath questions, and he admitted that he hit Brooks, choked him, and hit him in the body and groin. He also said that he lied to the police about what happened.

With his hands clasped in front of him, Walrath looked sad as he answered each question with “yes” or “correct.”

Walrath and his lawyer did not say anything as they left the building because Walrath was still free on posted bail. He is the first of the six guards who are being charged with murder to agree to a plea deal. His court date is August 4.

The video of the deadly attack on Robert Brooks on December 9 was made public on Friday by the state’s attorney general. The AG is looking into how the police used their power.
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, who was the special prosecutor, said, “Based on the evidence I had of Mr. Walrath’s involvement and the extent of the blows that he inflicted on Mr. Brooks—which, in my opinion, were non-lethal—I felt that by his plea admitting that he acted with the other defendants, I think it may expedite the other individuals to enter pleas, or it may not.”

Robert Brooks Jr., Brooks’s son, was at the meeting and later said in a statement, “This is one important but modest step on the long road to justice for my father.”

“Now, prison staff are in charge of Mr. Walrath’s life.” “This must be a scary thought for him and his family, knowing what the staff can do and how little the system cares about prisoners’ lives,” the victim’s son said. “I pray that Mr. Walrath has the chance to change while he is in prison and become a better person when he gets out.”

The six guards were charged with murder. Three other workers at the jail, which is about 180 miles northwest of New York City, were charged with manslaughter, and another worker was charged with tampering with evidence. Prosecutors say that four jail workers, including Walrath, have entered plea deals.

In 2017, Brooks began his 12-year term for first-degree assault. He was moved from a close jail to Marcy not long before he was killed by beatings.

Police officers beat Brooks while he was on a medical exam table with his hands cuffed behind his back. The videos from Brooks’ bodycam show the beating. He was hit in the chest with a shoe, picked up by the neck, and then thrown to the ground by police. The next day, Brooks passed away.

A lot of people spoke out against the beating and called for changes to be made. The videos made Gov. Kathy Hochul “outraged and horrified,” so she chose a new superintendent for the jail. She also told state officials to start the process of firing 13 prison guards and a nurse who were suspected of being involved in the attack.

Fitzpatrick is also suing guards at the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Marcy for beating Messiah Nantwi to death on March 1; he is also accused of murder. Last month, ten guards were charged in that case. Two of them are charged with murder.